Davenport City Council makes decisions on Elmore Corners

EXCERPTS FROM THE QUAD CITY TIMES: Davenport aldermen last month came to an agreement on a neighborhood concept that’s expected to set the tone for new development in the city’s northeast corner for decades to come.

The council’s action establishes new building regulations rules aimed toward shaping future commercial and residential developments in an area largely occupied by vacant land and the Rhythm City Casino. Where open spaces now exist, mock-ups commissioned by the city envision a bustling neighborhood called Elmore Corners, complete with music venues, hotels and brew pubs.

At the center of the debate has been THF, a major real estate developer that owns the Davenport Commons shopping center bordering the Elmore Corners district. City staff have fought for the developer to be included in the new neighborhood, a condition that put the real estate developer THF at odds with the plan. Instead, city council members voted to exclude the developer from the newly made district boundaries, following an earlier recommendation from the city’s planning and zoning commission.